Wiper brush



June 26, 1962 R. c. CRQSS ETAL 3,040,010

WIPER BRUSH Filed June 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fiq. I5. zsl H INVENTORS Ralph Criston Cross William Pierce Johnson Amwjwm June 26, 1962 R. c. CROSS ETAL WIPER BRUSH Filed June 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Ralph Criston Cross William Pierce Johnson United. States Patent Ralph Criston Cross and William Pierce Johnson, Rochester, N..Y., assignors to Gerber Products Company, Fremont, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed lune 15, 1964 Ser. No. 36,392 6 filaims. (*Jl. 214 l) This invention relates to cleaning devices, and more particularly to apparatus for cleaning the pick-up head of a magnetic transfer machine.

In the processing of food and other products, primary production lines utilize transfer machines having a magnetic pick-up head which engages the metallic caps of glass jars and the like to transfer a group of such jars from an accumulating position to a packaging position. Such transfer devices find particular application in product lines for baby food and other products wherein glass jars are used as containers and metallic caps are employed to seal the containers.

In one such installation, the loader magnet of a transfer machine is pivotally supported for rotation in a horizontal plane between an accumulating disk (loading) position and a retort crate or packaging (unloading) position. The loader magnet is adapted to be moved vertically to engage the tops of a plurality of capped containers to pick them up and transfer them to the angularly displaced unloading position. Naturally, the magnet of such apparatus is energizable to engage the tops and then de-energizable to release the containers.

One of the problems associated with such transfer apparatus is that one of the tops of a container may remain affixed to the pick-up head of the loader magnet due to residual magnetism or, in some cases, due to some of the product being inadvertently spilled on the pick-up head. In either event, if the pick-up head is rotated back to the assembling disk position and then moved downwardly to engage the caps of accumulated containers, one or more of the containers will have their caps damaged and will not be picked up and a resulting interruption in the transfer operation will occur. Not only do the caps occasionally remain affixed to the pick-up head of the loader magnet for one of many reasons, but dried products, slivers of glass, and other foreign material can adhere to the head and thereby interfere with the proper functioning of the transfer apparatus.

From the foregoing considerations, it will be understood that the principal object of the present invention is to provide a means for automatically wiping the surface of the pick-up head after it has deposited the capped containers at the packaging position and before it engages another group of containers at the accumulator position.

A feature of the present invention pertains to means for pivotally supporting one or more brushes angularly between the two positions so that, as the pick-up head is rotated toward the accumulator position, the bristles contact the surface of the pick-up head to clean it of caps, glass fragments and other foreign matter.

In order to provide a brush which performs this function only as the pick-up head returns to the accumulator position, it is necessary to pivotally support the brushes in the angular path of the pick-up head and to provide means for moving the brush downward and out of the way of the pick-up head as it moves to the unloading position with a full load of containers supported thereon. Otherwise, the brush would force the containers off the pick-up head. To operate the brush member, which is rotated out of the path of the head when necessary, and yet, can still be operated to sweep the pick-up head on its return stroke, there is provided a cam member aflixed to the shaft which rotates the pick-up head.

This camming member cooperates with a cam follower afixed to the brush assembly to control the movement thereof in correlation with the position and direction of movement of the pick-up head of the loader magnet. The camming member has a first camming surface which rotates the shaft supporting the brushes to a downward position as the pick-up head moves to the unload position. After the head with a full supply of containers has passed sutficiently beyond the brush to avoid any possible interference with the containers, the camrning member releases the rotated shaft and the brush, under the action of a bias spring rotates upward to its normal vertical position. As the pick-up head returns to the accumulator position, a second surface of the camming member displaces the cam follower longitudinally to avoid the pivot action. Thus, the pick-up head sweeps across the brush and any foreign matter thereon is removed. Again, as the pick-up head rotates toward the unload position, the brush is pivoted out of the way to avoid interfering with the movement of the containers.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side-view of the brush assembly cooperating with a loader magnet assembly when the pick-up head is moving across the brush assembly from the unload to load positions;

FIG. 2 is a partial end-view of the brush assembly as the pick-up head is moving across the brush assembly from the unload to the load position;

FIG. 3 is a partial side-view of the brush assembly with certain portions cut away to illustrate the cooperation of its cam follower with the camming member aflixed to the pick-up head shaft;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 33 of FIG. 3 to illustrate the rotation of the brush assembly about its supporting shaft;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan-view of the cooperation between the camming member and the cam follower supported in the brush assembly shaft when the pick-up head is in the accumulate or load position;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan-view of the cooperation between the camming member and the cam follower supported in the end of the brush assembly shaft when the pick-up head is in the retort crate or unload position; and,

FIG. 7 is an end-view of the brush and its support.

Looking particularly at FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the pick-up head 10 is supported below a horizontal arm 11 which in turn is affixed to the vertical shaft 12. Vertical shaft 12 is rotated in the frame 13 (by means not shown) to position the pick-up head It? over the accumulator disk or load position (to the left of FIG. 2) or over the retort crate or unload position (to the right of FIG. 2).

A pair of relatively long and thin cleaning brushes 15 and 16 are supported by frame 13 along a radial line with respect to the shaft 12. More particularly, the brush assembly 9 is afiixed in a support member 17 by pins 14. Member 17 is'aflixed to journal members 18 and 19, which journals are pivctally supported by rod bearing 21 affixed to the frame 13 by welding or some other means (not shown). With this arrangement, the brushes 15l6 may be pivoted about the rod 21. A coil spring 36 is pinned on the shaft 21 and urges the brush assembly 9 to its normal, vertical position.

An L-shaped follower 23 is partially telescoped in the end of tubular shaft 1h adjacent the vertical shaft 12. The telescoped end 23w of cam follower 23 has a pin 24 supported therein at right angles to the longitudinal axis of bearing 21, which pin 24 cooperates with oppositely disposed longitudinal slots 26 formed in the journal 19 to prevent rotation of member 23 with respect to journal 19. A coil spring 27 (FIG. 3) is located inside the tubular shaft 19 and acts against the telescoping end 2311 of follower 23 to urge it toward shaft 12. As will be appreciated, pin 24 permits movement of the cam follower 25 of the follower 23 along the longitudinal axis of the brush assembly 9 without interfering with its rotational connection to brushes 15-16.

Cooperating with the cam follower 25 is a cam member 31 fixedly supported adjacent the shaft 12. As the pick-up head 10 is rotated toward the unload position with a load of containers supported thereby, the leading edge 32 of the camming member 31 rotates the cam follower 25 downwardly to pivot the brush assembly 9 about the longitudinal axis of bearing support 21. This pivoted position of the brushes is shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2 and can be seen to avoid containers 8, also shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2.

As the shaft 12 continues to rotate toward the unload position, the lower surface 33 of the cam 31 maintains the brush assembly 9 out of the path of the pick-up head 10. This position of the cam follower 25 is illustrated by the dotted lines 34 in FIG. 3. However, as shaft 12 approaches the terminus of the unload position, camming member 31 moves beyond the cam follower and releases the follower 25. When this happens, brush assembly 9 is rotated to its vertical or engaging position by helical spring 36 which had been compressed as the journal 19 rotated to the lowermost position initially.

The cooperation of the cam follower 25 and the cam 31 as the pick-up head 10 is rotated can be most clearly seen in FIGS. and 6. There it will be noted that the forward surface 32 of the camming member 31 rotates the upstanding end 25 of the follower 23 dovsmwardly and holds it until the trailing end 37 has passed beyond end 25 thereby permitting spring 36 to pivot the brush assembly 9 to its vertical position (see FIG. 5 and dotted position of cam in FIG. 6).

After pick-up head It has deposited the glass containers at the unload position and starts back toward the load position, the trailing surface 37 of cam 31 bears against the upstanding end 25 of the follower 23 and forces it outwardly (with respect to shaft 12) thereby telescoping it into the tubular shaft 19 (see dotted position 39 of cam follower 25 in FIG. 6). Hence, the cam surface 37 radially displaces follower 25 which permits the brush assembly 9 to remain upright in the path of the pick-up head 10.

As soon as the cam 31 has rotated beyond cam follower 25, the compressed spring 27 forces the follower 23 inwardly into a position wherein the leading edge 32 of the cam 31 will engage it when the pick-up head is next rotated to the load position.

From the foregoing description it can be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple and efficient automatic means for wiping the magnet pick-up head 10 of transfer apparatus each time the head is returned to its lead position and does so with no interference with the movement of the pick-up head during the transfer operation. Although the present invention has been described in connection with exemplary apparatus, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that other arrangements may be envisioned without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, this invention 4% should be limited only to the extent of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a machine for transferring a plurality of devices from a load to an unload position by a magnetizable pick-up head assembly, means for cleaning the magnetizable pick-up head as it is returned from the unload to the load position comprising a brush assembly pivotally supported intermediate the load and unload positions, means for urging the brush assembly toward a normal position in which the bristles of said brush assembly sweep across the face of the pick-up head as it moves, and means for pivotally displacing the brush assembly out of the line of contact with the surface of the pick-up head as the head is moved from the load to the unload position.

2. Cleaning apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for pivotally displacing the brush assembly includes a cam supported in fixed relation to said pick-up head and a cooperating cam follower supported in non-rotatable relation to said brush assembly.

3. In combination with apparatus for transferring a plurality of articles from a load to an unload position by utilizing a magnetizable pick-up head supported for rotation about a vertical axis between the two positions, means for" cleaning the face of the pick-up head as the head is caused to be rotated from the unload to the load positions comprising, a brush assembly pivotally supported along an axis substantially transverse to the path of the pick-up head and intermediate the two positions, said brush normally lying in the path of said pick-up head, a cam fixedly associated with the pick-up head, and a cam follower cooperating with said brush assembly and said cam to rotate the brush assembly about said transverse axis out of the path of the pick-up head as said head is caused to be rotated to its unload position.

4. Cleaning apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and including spring means to return said brush assembly to its normal position when the pick-up head reaches the unload position.

5. Apparatus for cleaning the face of a magnetizable pick-up head in accordance with claim 3, wherein said cam follower is supported by the brush assembly slidably but non-rotatably along said transverse axis and said cam has leading and trailing surfaces, the leading edge of the cam engaging the cam follower, as the pick-up head rotates toward said unload position, to pivot the brush assembly downwardly about said transverse axis and maintain it in said downward position until the cam clears the cam follower and the trailing surface of said cam displacing the cam follower slida-bly outwardly along said axis so that the cam does not rotate the brush assembly out of the path of said pick-up head as it is rotated to said load position.

6. Cleaning apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein resilient means urge said brush assembly into the normal position in the path of the pick-up head and the cam follower inwardly toward said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,183,033 Segrin Dec. 12, 1939 2609, 108 Peterson Sept. 2, 1952 2,833,426 Bosken May 6, 1958 

